PRNewswire or Businesswire? Please answer based on your experience on these services. Please no speculations. Thanks you, -C
I've had clients use both of those services and quite a few others. There's absolutely no such thing as a "best" press release distribution service, because different distribution services have different levels of effectiveness with different target audiences. And btw... the second link in your sig is wrong / dead.
There's rarely a need to use more than one. Even if using free services, I suggest never bothering with more than 5 (the difference in ROI just isn't enough to justify the extra time spent, which you could instead spend on manual distribution). A service can get you picked up in Google News etc., but they're most effective when coupled with targeted submissions (even if that just means sending it to a handful of highly relevant bloggers, journalists, etc.).
For my clients who have the budget, I've always used PRNewswire.com. Don't just rely on a wire service. Using a great media list will get you better results.
For what Rich? Just the writing? Writing plus distribution? If including distribution, what's the niche audience and general news - the distribution cost can very greatly depending on who you're trying to target.
Hi Jenn, It would be for writing and distribution. The target audience would be blogs and press that cover technology trends, especially developing websites - e.g. KillerApps, Techcrunch, etc. Let me know if you need more info. Thanks for the assistance. Rich
For that type of audience, PRweb can be fine (probably the SEO package; you wouldn't need the media visibility package). You should also submit the release manually directly to some of the top blogs and journalists in the tech area. For a professional press release, you can probably find a decent PR writer for anywhere from $100 to around $250 or so (on the low end). For the distribution, I believe that PRweb package alone is $200. I'd budget another $100-300 for manual distribution to select outlets if you want a PR person to identify them and take care of it for you (assuming a relatively small manual campaign aspect). If you already have specific outlets in mind for your media list, you can do that part yourself to save money. (Note that the PRweb is just the "simplest" option for that audience... you can certainly save money by doing more yourself manually and going with a cheaper site just to get into Google News, Yahoo News, etc.) If you wanted to reach out to more traditional media, you could try a service like www.easymedialist.com for a somewhat inexpensive option for getting the media list contacts for the manual distribution side.
It depends on whether you really want to attract the attention of the press or you are looking for links to a website. I prefer PRNewswire of the 2 you have listed, but i-newswire.com is a good one just to draw search attention.
Hi Jenn, Thanks again for the detail response. I now understand what a reasonable press release will cost. Rich
A media list is worth its weight in gold if you are going to be making frequent, news worthy announcements and if it's accurate and up to date. Also, having an experienced PR person contacting the media on your behalf will greatly increase your odds of coverage. Reporters and editors are finicky about how they are contacted and experienced PR people know the proper format and what makes an interesting hook. If your budget can't handle it now, it's something to think about in the future.
Hi Jenn, I know that you are quite right. I was very active with the media on both sides during the 80s and 90s. There are still lots of my articles and white papers on the Web, even after 20 years. My problem right now is putting together a newsworthy story. Either I have to find a good idea for my domain (which is in my sig) or I have to find a deep pocket partner, with technolgoy/service that fits my domain. It's a problem that I have been working on for a year. I'll just keep working on it until have get that moment of inspiration. Thanks for you help. It is quite valuable. Regards, Rich
When you say "find a good idea for my domain," do you mean something newsworthy about what's already there, or do you mean that you're looking into different site ideas for the domain?